Curious about the sales success of the G1, the first mobile phone based on Google’s Android OS? Well, wonder no more. The Open Handset Alliance (OHA), a Google-led group of vendors backing Android, announced 14 new members, including big hitters Vodafone and Sony Ericsson. The additions are a big vote of confidence for the mobile phone platform, and it’s probably a sign that the G1 and Android have indeed garnered a healthy following.
According to this BusinessWeek article, the new membership is driven by vendors who like what they see in the G1 and are trying to get in on the Android action, especially “since the cost of Android-based handsets is lower than that of phones made with operating systems from Nokia and Microsoft.” Device-maker HTC is expected to sell 500,000 G1s this year, and they’re hoping for similar success.
Android is an attractive option, the article says, since many of these vendors have grown disenchanted with rivals like Nokia’s Symbian, which is currently being retooled, and Microsoft Windows Mobile, which “has been losing developer interest.”
In addition to high-profile names, like Ericsson, Garmin International, Sony, Toshiba and Vodafone, the new members also include AKM Semiconductor, ARM, ASUSTek Computer, Atheros Communications, Borqs, uawi Technologies, Omron Software, Softbank Mobile and Teleca AB.
The bolstered membership is a shot in the arm for Android, and it could spell tougher competition for rival Apple and its iPhone. Looks like the battle between Google’s open system for mobile devices and Apple’s far more closed approach is definitely heating up.
